A Fathers's Duty
by Kinsutenekochan
Summary: While following a possible lead on the Stone, Edward stumbes across clues to a surprising mystery. Colonel Roy Mustang has vanished, leaving no clues as to his location. A series of connected drabbles fueled by my constant craving for ParentalRoyed. POSSIBLE TRIGGER WARNINGS, INCLUDES MENTION OF TORTURE! Absolutely no Yaoi!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello again! I am apparently on a roll tonight! (Yes, I know,** ** _another_** **new fic when I haven't updated either of my older ones, bad Kinsutenekochan, bad girl.) This is the start of a LOOOOONG set of connected drabbles inspired by my insatiable desire for ParentalRoyed. The first few (not sure how many yet, sorry) will be directly following each other just like a multichapter fic. Once that part is done, I will start on the next drabble/multiple-chapter fic that will be linked to this first one but not exactly directly after it. And so on. I have at** ** _least_** **5 mini fics that will be included in this, maybe more. DThis first one is going to be a LOT longer than I thought, but hopefully you will still enjoy it!**

 **WARNING! POSSIBLE TRIGGERS, THIS** ** _WILL_** **CONTAIN VIOLENCE, PAIN, BLOOD, SLIGHT GORE, AND SOME MENTION OF TORTURE! (I have a really difficult time using swear words in my writing, I just can't use them well at all, so forgive my silly substitutes!)**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to FullMetal Alchemist, or any of its related content. I write for my own pleasure and I am only barrowing the characters to play with.**

Chapter 1

 _A Father's Duty is to guard his children, protect them from harm and keep them safe, even at the expense of his own life._

Edward crawled along the narrow air duct and bitterly wondered how in all of Truth he had got himself roped into this. He should be out following up on his newest lead for the Stone, not dragging himself through countless layers of dust and who knew what else.

"You just had to find out what was going on, didn't you Ed? Just because some lowlife on the street was trying to sell a pair of gloves and a silver watch that looked somewhat familiar! You couldn't just keep walking? You don't even _like_ that Bastard of a Colonel, who cares if some bum somehow got ahold of a pair of those stupid gloves he is so proud of?" Careful to keep his furious muttering as quiet as possible, the young Alchemist peered through the newest opening in the vent and wasn't surprised to see the room beyond silent and dark. With a sigh he pushed forward, still muttering to himself.

"Just because the call to the bastard's office was a little strange doesn't mean something is wrong. Lieutenant Hawkeye could just be having an off day, even if she has never had one before. And it isn't like the jerk goes out of his way to annoy you every time you check in, right? That doesn't mean that it was strange that he wasn't available to talk or that Lieutenant Hawkeye wouldn't explain why. You don't _care_ , remember?" A distant thud caught his attention and he shuffled closer to the next vent, struggling to ignore the uneasy feeling sinking into his gut. Despite his silent arguments with himself, Ed felt oddly jumpy. Something felt off, and too many things were happening for even him to dismiss as coincidence.

"And the bum could have found that stupid watch anywhere, even if it did have the Colonel's rank, initials, and State alchemist ID engraved on the back. You have the same thing on yours, it's not like someone can't make a copy as a joke or something. Criminals break the law all the time, the severe punishments for duplicating a State watch wouldn't stop them!" The low murmur of voices echoed through the duct and he quickly bit his tongue, shoving his doubts to the back of his mind.

Al was checking with Hawkeye about that freaking Watch, and he was here, trying to prove to himself that there was nothing in the ancient abandoned underground bunker where the bum had claimed he had found the ignition gloves that were now safely tucked away in Edward's pocket. But the light that was now filtering into the duct and the sounds that he could now hear were definitely not going to assist him in that endeavor.

 _It doesn't mean something happened to the Bastard. He is probably smirking to himself in his office, pretending to work._ The uneasy feeling in his stomach didn't go away despite his silent attempt to reassure himself, the sinking sensation only growing stronger the closer he got to the vent opening. Moving carefully to avoid making noise, he peeked through the slits. The bright light blinded him instantly after the last solid hour of darkness and he smothered a curse as he blinked away tears of pain.

"Seven whole days of this now, _Sir_." The mocking voice was almost dripping with sarcasm. "Is one lowly Subordinate really worth this level of blind loyalty?" A low grunt was the only answer as Ed's eyes finally began to clear. The room was oddly empty, the floor lined with white tile that sloped into a drain and the walls were painted a vivid white to match. A man stood directly in front of the vent cover, his back obscuring the majority of the room, an oddly familiar Amestrian military jacket draped over one shoulder.

"This doesn't have to continue, _Colonel_. Are you certain you don't want to tell us what we want to know? I do not want to resort to the next level in our lovely friendship." The voice was deceptively gentle this time, but even Ed could clearly hear the false note in the man's words. Whoever this man was, he was deliberately saying the exactly the opposite of what he meant. And the cold anger hidden under the fake tone made a shiver of fear run down Ed's spine. This man was dangerous and he was frustrated.

A ragged and pained cough was the only answer to the man's question and he sighed impatiently.

"Where is the Fullmetal Alchemist?" Edward's breath froze in his lungs, shock shoving every single thought out of his mind.

"I had really hoped you were over this, Dren. Surely this tactic is growing old by now?" If the subject of the man's question had shocked Edward, that familiar tone and voice made his heart stop. There was no mistaking that arrogant and long suffering tone, delivered with that all-too-familiar attitude.

"Come now, Mustang, you know first hand what some of our methods are. I thought this way would be preferable to them for now. After all, you can't exactly answer my questions if you are too busy screaming." Edward was quite suddenly furious. This Dren's smug mockery and total confidence were really grating on his nerves. _He_ was the only one allowed to talk to Mustang like that. A ragged chuckle echoed through the room as Ed blindly strained to see around the unwitting human blockade, telling himself angrily that he didn't care what condition the Colonel was in, he was just trying to see what was going on.

"You should also know by now that I am not going to tell you bastards anything. You are _seriously_ wasting your time." A reluctant admiration for the Colonel's guts drowned out the fury and shock for a moment, letting him _think_. He had to calm down. No matter how much he wanted too, he couldn't go bursting into the room to beat the man to a pulp. He didn't know if there was anyone else in the room, and he still didn't know what was going on. Growling silently in the back of his throat, Ed shifted so that he could see through the vent easier.

 _You don't care, remember?_ A dry sarcastic voice taunted in the back of his mind. He snarled silently.

 _Shut it!_

"Really, Colonel, I do not understand why you are doing this to yourself. Just tell me where he is or any information that can help us capture him and we will let you go. Why do you insist on staying silent?" Edward stiffened, listening as hard as he could as his heart began to pound with dread.

"What kind of man do you think I am? What kind of respectable adult would give up a _child_ to save themselves some discomfort?" The faint hint of pain in the Colonel's voice faded as he spoke, disappearing in a surprising flash of anger.

"The same man who would recruit said _child_ as a _human weapon_ for the Military, Mustang." An oddly self-deprecating laugh filled the room.

"I think this is a very different situation, Dren. As a state alchemist, he only has to serve as a human weapon in emergencies, and I will do absolutely everything in my power to make certain that such a situation never happens. He is also under my command, where I can keep an eye on him. You want me to hand him over to you, and judging by the hospitality you have shown me, I have significant doubts about how he would be treated. As his commanding officer, I would never help you capture him to spare myself pain. Especially if he would be taking my place as your guest." The confidence and command in Mustang's voice clearly took the man by surprise, but he regrouped quickly.

"I cannot believe what I am hearing! You, the infamous Flame Alchemist, so called 'Hero of Ishval'! After all the people you slaughtered in that war, you would claim that you still have honor enough to refuse to give up one kid? You don't even _like_ the brat, that much is common knowledge!" The man exclaimed. The room was quiet for a long moment and Ed was surprised to realize that he was holding his breath as he waited for the Colonel's answer.

"Just because we do not always see eye to eye, does not mean that I hate him. He is one of my subordinates. If I truly hated the arrogant brat, I could have easily transferred him under someone else's command, regardless of the loss of one 'pawn' as you like to call him. One way or the other, it makes no difference. I will not betray Major FullMetal." Edward could not believe his ears. 'Dren' as the Colonel had called him, was just as skeptical.

"If that is true, I wonder how you would feel if we had him down here with you? How you would feel while we showed him the same hospitality we have shown you and forced you to watch?" He mused darkly and Ed caught the oddest sound of metal clanking, almost like chains rattling against each other.

"You just don't get it, do you? Unlike me, the FullMetal Alchemist is far too clever to fall for any of your childish tricks. On some level you have to understand that or you wouldn't be wasting time with me! You know you can't catch him without my help. And I will _never_ give him to you." Mustang's tone had changed drastically, and Ed actually shivered a little at the cold and hard note of utter certainty in the Colonel's voice. In that single moment, Ed actually believed all the terrifying rumors about the monster that was known as the Flame Alchemist.

The room was dead silent for a few minutes this time before Draco leapt forward with a snarl, snatching something that gleamed like metal off a now visible table to his right and stabbing it forward.

"Wait, Sir! Not at full power, you will kill him!" Someone else in the room cried in warning but he ignored them. Something sparked and then Mustang screamed. Flashes of light sparked around whatever instrument Draco held, and Ed caught his first glimpse of the Colonel.

A pair of very thick chains were attached to the ceiling in the center of the room, and Mustang hung by his arms from thick shackles at the end of each chain, the rest of his body still mostly blocked from Edward's view by Draco. What little he could see of the man was jerking violently, those horrible screams echoing the movements. Finally Draco pulled back and the Colonel hung limply from his shackles, the room echoing with his pained gasps.

There was a faint creak of strained metal and Ed looked down to see that his automail hand had dug an impressive furrow into the thick metal of the air duct. He growled under his breath, reluctantly grateful that Mustang's screams had apparently masked the sound of him unconsciously crushing the metal. A ragged and pained cough drew his attention back to the room in time for him to see Draco slowly place what looked like a simple metal rod with a pointed end that now dripped with blood back on the table.

"Where is the FullMetal Alchemist, Edward Elric?" Draco demanded, his voice hard and flat. Mustang drew in a shaky breath, the sound oddly wet and rattling.

"I do not know." Edward barely managed to keep himself still at the pained exhaustion in the Colonel's voice. It was so wrong for Mustang to sound like that. Something deep inside him wanted to utterly destroy whoever had reduced the confident man he knew to this. It was taking everything he had to hold himself back.

 _Later,_ he promised himself. _Later you will make them all pay for breaking the man who was thought to be unbeatable. Later you will make them regret hurting one of the few constants in your life. If you move now, you could ruin any chance of saving him. Wait. Wait until later._

"When will the FullMetal Alchemist report to your office?" Ed clung to the words as a distraction from his inexplicable fury about Mustang and peered through the vent to see that no one had moved.

"I do not know."

"When is the next time you expect the FullMetal Alchemist to contact you?"

"I do not know."

"When is the FullMetal Alchemist scheduled to return to Central?"

"I do not know." Draco growled and grabbed the Colonel by the hair and jerked his head up, Mustang's face still hidden from Ed's view.

"I thought you said he was your Subordinate! That you keep an eye on him! How is that true when you apparently have no idea where he is or when he will reappear?!" A weak chuckle was followed by a grinding cough.

"As a State Alchemist, the FullMetal Alchemist has the obligation and expectation to continue researching his speciality in alchemy. Unless he is on a mission for me or the Military, he travels constantly to further his own research. At these times, the FullMetal Alchemist is under no obligation to report to me or return to Central by a specific date." A little life had creeped back into the Colonel's voice and Ed forced himself to relax a little in response. Obviously, Mustang was still determined to not give anything away, or else he would have told the man that he had ways of contacting him or that Edward made sure to check in with Mustang's office at least once a week, regardless if he was on a mission or not.

 _How...how is he doing this? No matter what kind of loyalty he spouts, no one should be able to keep silent after this._ He quickly pushed the thoughts away, pushing the anger aside so he could plan a way out of this mess.

"Don't push me too far, Mustang. Despite your own claims, you are are a smart man. Tell me how to find him or I will make you regret it." The finality in Draco's tone made fear flood through Ed's chest and he firmly bit his tongue to hold it back.

"Oh, I don't think a coward like you is really capable of making me regret something like this. Will it be easier if I say it straight out? I will never let you Drachma scum so much as lay one finger on the FullMetal Alchemist." If Draco had sounded deadly, Mustang's voice was much worse. Draco actually took a step back at the icy tone, the threat stated as if there was no possibility of Mustang failing to carry it out.

"You dig your own grave, Colonel Mustang." Draco stated flatly, his voice full of suppressed fury. In a blur, the man picked up the metal spike and drove it into Mustang's right thigh. Ed wrenched his automail from the metal of the duct and clapped his hands over his ears as Mustang's screams echoed around him, but he forced his eyes to stay open and locked on Draco. The man straightened slowly, leaving the spike in the Colonel's leg, and spun to face the room, giving Edward his first look at his face.

He was built like a soldier, solid muscle and a thick neck, but his face was soft. Hard blue eyes over a squashed nose with a thin mouth set over a soft chin. His mouth was twisted in a snarl, a vein pulsing in one temple. He snapped his fingers, the sound barely audible over the screams. Two men quickly stepped into view in response and Ed tried to be glad he held back from bursting into the room, but the screams made it hard.

"We are running out of time and I have no more patience. I want him _**broken**_ by tomorrow." Draco stated, his eyes hard with a mysterious emotion.

 _Something Mustang just said hit a nerve. While he does have a talent for that, the question is if it was intentional or not._ Part of him was shocked that he could be thinking so calmly about the emotional state of the disgusting jerk with Mustang's screams ringing in his ears. But the calm part of him knew that he would explode if he didn't focus on something, anything, else.

One of the men shook his head in clear exasperation and stepped past Draco to yank the metal spike out of the Colonel's leg. Mustang immediately sagged limply from his chains, his head bowed so that his hair hid his face in shadows. Hoarse ragged gasps were the only sound for a moment before the man turned back to face Draco.

"Sir, we have been pushing him too hard! We have had him for seven days now. With the extent of his...injuries on top of everything else, if we rush to break him so quickly, he will die! You gave very explicit orders that he must still be functional and useful later. That will not happen if you insist on this." The man ground out, dropping the spike back on the table with a pointed glare. Draco's face began to turn purple and Ed suddenly had the worrying impression that the man was terrifyingly close to snapping completely. He grabbed the soldier's shirt and yanked him forward until their faces were only inches apart.

"I. Do. Not. Care. Is that clear enough, Sergeant? He will be broken by sunrise or both of you will answer for it. Understood?" The sheer malice in his voice was surprising, it clearly caught both men off guard as fear made their eyes go wide. They nodded silently and Draco shoved the man away with a snarl. Ignoring him as he struggled to stay on his feet, Draco stalked out of Edward's view, the groan of hinges followed by the distinctive sound of a door slamming letting the alchemist know that he had left the room.

 **And that is the first part. I have a good deal of the next chapter written, the question will be where to cut it off. Please leave a review if possible!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, the response for this fic was pretty good! I have had good number of reviews so I am going to do my best to update at least once a week, maybe more often if I get a good run of inspiration. Thank you all for your reviews. I hope I live up to your expectations!**

 **WARNING! POSSIBLE TRIGGERS, THIS** ** _WILL_** **CONTAIN VIOLENCE, PAIN, BLOOD, SLIGHT GORE, AND SOME MENTION OF TORTURE! (I have a really difficult time using swear words in my writing, I just can't use them well at all, so forgive my silly substitutes!)**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to FullMetal Alchemist, or any of its related content. I write for my own pleasure and I am only barrowing the characters to play with.**

Chapter 2

 _A Father's Duty is to guard his children, protect them from harm and keep them safe, even at the expense of his own life._

The two men relaxed slightly, nearly identical expressions of disgust on their faces. The one who had confronted his superior sighed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"You really did it this time, Colonel." He stated grimly, walking up to Mustang's limp form. "You finally pushed him too far." The Colonel didn't respond, his breathing still pained and hoarse. The other man looked to one side and jerked his head.

"You two can leave, you really don't want to see this." There was a vehement snort from the side of the room near where Ed figured the door was.

"Don't have to tell me twice!" A rough voice declared, a nauseous note in his voice, before two sets of footsteps echoed through the room followed by the door closing again. The Sergeant rubbed his chin, a strange look on his face.

"All you had to do was tell him what he wanted to know. Is that boy really worth all of the effort you are using to resist us?" He murmured and there was genuine curiosity in his voice. Mustang groaned as he lifted his head, still hidden from Ed's view by the Sergeant.

"Is it really so hard to believe that I actually care about the brat?" His voice sounded so different from his conversation with Draco. He sounded _defeated_. It made Edward's gut clench with fear.

In the years since the day that the Colonel had found him, empty-eyed and missing two limbs, Mustang had became one of the few constants in his world. He was the Flame Alchemist! The Hero of Ishval, untouchable and confident. To see him like this caused Ed's world to tilt sideways.

Laughter forced Ed's attention back to the room.

"Yes! You are a cold and ambitious man, Mustang. We knew that from the start. You sit back and strategize, cooly moving your pieces on the board. Your actions in Ishval proved that you follow orders, no matter how distasteful. There is no reason that someone like you would go this far to protect a child you have given every indication that you hate!"

There was silence for a long moment, both men apparently waiting for an answer instead of following Draco's order.

"Would you ask a parent why they protect their child, even at the cost of their own life? It is not so different for me." Edward would have laughed if Mustang hadn't sounded completely serious. His heartbeat pounded in his ears as he stared at what little he could see of his commanding officer.

For the umpteenth time since Edward had looked through this vent, he was frozen with shock. Never would he have thought to hear that kind of sentiment from Mustang. There had been a few times that had made him suspicious, glimpses of an odd look in those dark eyes, reckless behavior when he or Al was in danger, constant calls to 'check up' on them, but nothing that had given Ed any indication that the Colonel thought of him as a son, as _his_ son. Granted, there had been very few examples of a caring father for him to use as reference, Hughes only one of maybe a handful of Fathers that Ed had known.

 _But you treated him like a father, didn't you? Rebelling, talking back, getting angry and yet feeling guilty when he scolded you, running to him when you were in trouble... You did not even realize what you were doing. You rushed over here, despite all your doubts, desperately trying to prove that you weren't worried about him_. That quiet voice mocked him silently, sounding uncomfortably similar to Al.

 _Shut up_. He whispered silently, almost terrified that that stupid voice was right. Had he really been looking at the Colonel as a father figure all these years? He had always insisted that he didn't need a father, but...

Another bout of coarse laughter shook him out of his shock and he grimly tried to focus on the task at hand.

 _I can worry about all this later, after I get that jerk out of this mess._ He peered through the vent again, pretending that he was not having trouble breathing around the lump in his throat and that his vision wasn't slightly blurry.

"Doesn't this just take the cake! I would pay money to see what the FullMetal Alchemist would think of this! Ha! He would probably try to beat your face in or laugh." The Sergeant shook his head as he wiped tears from his eyes. His partner looked oddly upset, his hands shaking as they straightened tools on the table under the vent. Finally the Sergeant regained control and cocked his head to one side.

"You are one unlucky bastard, do you know that? First you refuse to tell us anything about flame alchemy, and go to excessive lengths to prove it. Then we start asking about FullMetal instead and you get even more stubborn. Now Draco doesn't care if you come out of this sane anymore, and you claim to have one of the strongest motivations anyone could have to keep silent. We can't afford to be nice like we have been the last couple of days. So lets see just how long you can hold out now." He stated grimly, slowly circling the Colonel as he spoke. Mustang didn't respond, not even lifting his head to look at the man.

In a blur, the Sergeant lifted the metal rod that he had pulled from the Colonel's leg and jabbed it into his lower back. The Colonel couldn't even scream, he jerked so violently, and Ed forcibly swallowed the snarl that rose in his throat. It was getting harder by the second to hold himself back.

 _Just a little longer_ , he promised himself grimly. Just to make sure there was no one else in the room.

The Sergeant pulled back after far too long, Mustang gagging and dry heaving.

"Let him rest a bit. Like you told Drago, if we aren't careful we will kill him." The other man warned and Sergeant nodded, dropping the rod on the table again before walking over to join his partner. There was a long moment of silence broken only by Mustang's pained heaves before the nameless partner spoke.

"Are you ok with this, Sergeant?" His voice was so quiet that if Ed hadn't been right above them he wouldn't have heard it. As it was, he had to strain to catch Sergeant's response.

"Thomas, I know it is different now, but you know we don't have a choice. Refuse to follow orders and Bobby will be the one hanging in chains." He hissed fiercely and Thomas flinched.

"Everything I do is to protect my son, Sergeant, but..." The man shook his head slowly. Sergeant groaned in clear exasperation.

"It is a little late for second thoughts now, Bud." Thomas threw his hands up in the air with a snarl.

"I know that! But all I can see is a father protecting his kid. And when he does break, a fifteen year old boy will be hanging there in his place!"

"Only if FullMetal is extremely stupid. I doubt he will refuse to teach us how he does alchemy without circles." _Never in this lifetime!_ Edward snarled silently as he ground his teeth in frustration. Thomas apparently agreed judging by the skeptical look on his face.

"First of all, it can't be that easy to learn, or there would be a whole lot more alchemists who could do it. Second, this is the kid that the _Flame Alchemist_ considers more important than his own skin." He stated dryly. Sergeant opened his mouth to respond and stopped, a reluctant look of horror filling his eyes.

"Either way, a child will be hanging from those chains, Thomas. Are you honestly willing to see your son take the place of an enemy alchemist that you have never met?" The room was silent for a long moment before Thomas sighed heavily.

"Lets just get this over with." He whispered brokenly, lifting the tray he had been fiddling with and striding over to the table next to Mustang. Sergeant followed, picking up that cursed metal rod again as he stepped behind the still limp Colonel.

"No sleeping, Mustang!" He snarled, driving the rod deep into the fleshy section of skin where the shoulder met the neck. Mustang _shrieked_ , his head flying back as he spasmed. And the last thread of Ed's restraint snapped as he went blind with fury. A clap echoed ominously through the room before he slammed his hands against the metal around him.

The air duct _peeled_ apart before forming into giant fists that shot across the room. Ed rolled as he hit the ground and charged forward, his right arm cocked back in a fist.

"STOP _HURTING_ HIM!" He howled, slamming his auto-mail fist into Sergeant's jaw as the restructured metal he created hit Thomas. Both of them fell back into the wall behind Mustang and Ed quickly clapped his hands again, slapping them against the floor with a wordless snarl of rage. Both men panicked as massive ropes of stone and tile wrapped around them, pinning them against the wall. The last strip of rock he quickly wrapped around their mouths, stopping any belated cries for help.

Leaping back to his feet, Ed hurried over to Mustang, yanking the metal rod out of his shoulder the second he reached him. The Colonel immediately sagged limply from his chains with a groan of relief and Edward growled, dropping the rod and crushing it under his metal foot. For a moment he just stood there, breathing hard as he struggled to rein in the blinding fury pounding in his head. Letting a breath out slowly, he turned on his heel and strode over to the two trapped soldiers, stopping in front of Thomas.

"I almost respected you for your reasons for being here, but then you ruined it by being a freaking hypocrite." Ed glared at him for a long moment, still fighting with his temper.

"And I have one simple question for you." He hissed, leaning close so that he could look into the man's eyes clearly. They were locked on him, wide with fear.

"What if your son found out about this? About how you tormented someone _else's_ Father to make him betray his _son_? And would have given the same treatment to a kid his age just to keep _him_ safe? What do you think you would see in his eyes when he looked at you?" Thomas's eyes went wide with a mixture of guilt, sorrow and horror.

"Then maybe your son can be grateful that _I_ am mature enough to hold myself back from taking _every single blow_ that you inflicted on _my_ father figure out of your hypocritical hide!" Ed hissed, taking a dark satisfaction in the way the man flinched away from him guiltily.

Confident that his point had been made, he turned back to Mustang, getting his first clear look at the man. His chest tightened, horror squeezing his ribs.

"Laws, Colonel, I know you hate paperwork," Ed choked out a strangled laugh as he took a slow step forward, struggling to take in the full extent of the damage. "But this taking it a little far just to avoid signing a few documents."

The hoarse chuckle that answered his statement caused somthing in his gut to relax slightly, a reluctant smile twisting his lips. That familiar dark head lifted and blood shoot black eyes met gold.

"It's oddly good to hear your sarcastic attitude, FullMetal."

 **And, I am sorry for the cliffhanger, I promise I won't leave you hanging too long! So let me know what you think! Also, I need to know if I need to tone down the description of Mustang's injuries. I have them all planned out, and while it won't be too graphic, it still might be disturbing so let me know! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**I am so sorry that this is three days late, but this part was fighting me and I had no time to write. I will do better next time, I promise! And I know there is a lot of talking and not much happens but, like I said, this part was fighting me. Any feed back on how this could have been better is welcome, I am not sure if I like how this chapter turned out. And thanks for all the favorites and reviews, I am so glad people like this! Enjoy!**

 **WARNING: SPECIFIC MENTIONS OF TORTURE, GORE AND BLOOD.**

 **WARNING! POSSIBLE TRIGGERS, THIS** ** _WILL_** **CONTAIN VIOLENCE, PAIN, BLOOD, SLIGHT GORE, AND SOME MENTION OF TORTURE! (I have a really difficult time using swear words in my writing, I just can't use them well at all, so forgive my silly substitutes!)**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to FullMetal Alchemist, or any of its related content. I write for my own pleasure and I am only borrowing the characters to play with.**

CHAPTER 3

 _A Father's Duty is to guard his children, protect them from harm and keep them safe, even at the expense of his own life._

Silence filled the room as Edward looked at the Colonel, some part of him cringing at every bruise while the more practical part was pushing to identify all the serious wounds. Mustang's military jacket was gone, his white colored shirt torn and filthy. The entire right sleeve was torn off, his collar was unbuttoned and the bottom half of the shirt was in shreds. His odd cape belt was still intact but just as dirty as the shirt, his military uniform pants in the same shape.

Growling under his breath, Ed strode forward, clapping his hands as he walked.

"Lets get you down, Colonel." He stated grimly, touching the floor to create a makeshift stool to stand on.

"What, too short to reach, FullMetal?" Ed snarled at him, but the pained tone in Mustang's voice had made him pause.

"Shut up." Mustang actually lifted his head higher at his response, his bruised eyes as wide as they could go.

"FullMetal..?" He murmured, a note of concern creeping into his tone. Ed growled at him as he stepped onto the platform. Clapping again he reached for the chains and froze, his breath caught in his throat.

"What...what happened to your.." He couldn't finish, too shocked at the sight of those twisted fingers.

It only took a second for Mustang to realize what he was trying to ask.

"My first escape attempt. I carved a circle into the chains and actually made it all the way outside the bunker before they caught me. Their scum of a leader... Kind of lost his temper. Broke every single one of my fingers on my right hand as a warning not to try that again." He chuckled dryly and Ed swallowed hard.

"We don't...I don't know if I have time to splint those before getting your sorry butt out of here." He murmured, knowing the insult sounded half-hearted at best. Mustang sighed and let his head hang from his neck for a moment.

"Fullmetal, they have been broken for at least six days. Not splinting them now won't hurt them much more." Edward flinched, touching the chains just above Mustang's hands. Light flashed as the chains crumbled and He jumped forward as the Colonel collapsed, barely managing to catch the man before he hit the floor. A grunt of effort escaped as he struggled to keep them both upright.

"Geeze, Colonel! Lay off on the sweets!" Mustang snorted painfully, his good hand gripping Ed's auto mail shoulder in a white-knuckled grip. Slowly, he tried to stand and nearly collapsed with a sharp cry that he quickly muffled. Ed grabbed him again and glanced down to see that not only was Roy's feet still chained to the floor but there was a slim metal rod jammed _through_ the man's lower left calf. Ed snarled wordlessly and Mustang glanced at him in surprise before noticing where he was looking with a wince.

"Second escape attempt, about thirty hours ago. Dren did that trying to make it so that I couldn't walk." Edward was shaking with the rage that was rising to choke him, his vision going red at the edges.

"Why are they here? What do they even _want_ with me?" Mustang stiffened, refusing to meet his eyes.

"So you heard that much? Good to know you _can_ think before jumping in." He drawled and Ed bristled, opening his mouth to respond when Mustang hissed, his grip tightening on Ed's shoulder. Muttering angrily under his breath, he carefully helped the Colonel sit on the floor before clapping his hands and destroying the chains on his ankles. Mustang tried to shift so that he was leaning against the wall and flinched, his good hand clutching his clearly bruised ribs.

Ed took a moment to check the Colonel's other injuries and what he found nearly made him regret his decision to leave his captives alone. Vivid red and black burns crisscrossed his chest, some clearly recent and _bad_. Shallow and deep cuts covered almost every inch of visible skin on both of his arms.

Under both the burns and cuts were dark purple bruises, some bigger than his _hand,_ withlayers of faded yellow-green older bruises around those. His face was just as bad. One eye was very swollen, both lips split and bloody. He looked down right exhaused, his cheeks hollow and traced with shallow cuts. His military uniform pants were mostly intact, except for a number of small puncture wounds in both thighs.

Oddly enough, he still wore his military boots, the metal rod in his left leg obviously stabbed through the leather. _Why would they let him keep his boots after he tried to escape?_ He looked closer and caught an oddly charred smell coming from the leather. A shiver of unease raced through him and he carefully shifted Mustang's right boot. The leather cracked and broke a little under his touch, sticking sickeningly to the raw skin that was partially visible now. Ed swallowed hard, trying to keep the contents of his stomach.

 _They...they set his boots on fire. And then put them out._ Several _times._ He clutched at his thighs, his hands shaking , as he struggled to hold on to his temper. _Those filthy..._

"FullMetal, you need to go get help. There is no way you can get us both out of here, and I can't get very far on my own. But you could get out alone." Ed's head snapped up and he started to object when Mustang cut him off.

"If you try to take me with you, we will both get caught and that is not a chance I am willing to take!" Ed jumped to his feet, his fists clenched as he reminding himself that punching the man would get them no where. Turning his back, he sucked in a deep breath, his thoughts racing franticly.

"Now you listen to me, you stupid arrogant bastard. I will _not_ leave you behind. I did not crawl through Truth knows how many tight spaces and filthy dust to just...!" He broke off with a snarl and Mustang glared at him for a moment before hanging his head with a frustrated sigh.

"I...I am...useless to you right now Fullmetal. I can't use alchemy in this situation, I can't even freaking _walk_! And we will never escape if you are practically _carrying_ me every step of the way!" That tone was back, the one that made him sound...broken.

"No." Ed muttered, determination flooding through him. Digging in his pocket he crouched down in front of Mustang and carefully grabbed his left shoulder.

"I am the Fullmetal Alchemist, and you _are_ the infamous Flame Alchemist, Mustang. Even in the pathetic shape you are in right now, there is no way a handful of regular soldiers from who knows where can beat both of us. Especially with one of these." He stated grimly and Mustang hesitantly looked up. His eyes went wide for a moment before that familiar cocky smirk twisted his lips.

"Where did you get that?" He demanded, trying to grab for it and wincing. Ed grinned and handed it to him.

"Some lowlife was trying to sell both of them and your watch. I...persuaded him to tell me where he got them and that is how I found you." Mustang gripped the ignition glove tightly, a look of relief flooding his face, and Ed abruptly realized exactly _why_.

 _He has been unable to really fight back the entire time he has been here. And I just handed him a very familiar weapon._ An odd feeling squeezed his chest, and he realized he was relieved too. Relieved that Mustang wasn't quite as defeated as he had sounded.

"Now, let's get you out of here. I'll be the legs and you watch our backs, alright?" He stated and Mustang smirked at him again, his eyes looking oddly bright.

"Giving me orders, Fullmetal?" Ed rolled his eyes and stood up, gripping the Colonel firmly under his left arm. Both of them pulled and Mustang was again on his feet. He sucked in a pained breath and quickly put his weight on his good leg.

Ed cursed under his breath and braced the Colonel against the wall before snatching the glove. Mustang almost made a noise of protest before Edward grabbed his wrist and pulled the glove onto the Colonel's hand. Mustang closed his mouth with a sheepish wince before a familiar fire filled his eyes. The snap echoed through the room and a small flame burst into life over his hand. Ed started in surprise when a single tear slid down his superior's cheek before Mustang quickly put out the flame and rubbed his face on his sleeve.

"Thank you, Fullmetal." The emotion in the Colonel's voice made Ed's heart squeeze with pain and he quickly brushed it off.

"Yeah, whatever." Mustang chuckled dryly and shot him a strangely knowing look. Ed scowled at him and carefully pulled his right arm over his shoulders, griping his elbow with his metal hand. They walked past the two men wrapped in the wall and Ed shot them both a glare as he passed. Neither one would meet his eyes. He let out a low growl and felt Mustang's arm squeeze his neck briefly.

"Fullmetal..." He stiffened and looked away, shoving back the anger that was threatening to choke him. Walking up to the door, he listened for a moment, trying to ignore Mustang's pained breathing next to him.

"This wasn't what was supposed to happen. We were sent here to _investigate_. There was no mention of torture or any of this." One of the guards grumbled. The other grunted in agreement.

"Everything changed when that cursed "Wind" alchemist showed up. Dren become obsessed and went rouge and now we are stuck here with him. This isn't what Drachma is about. We don't need this stupid Alchemy or whatever, we just need to know how to fight them." They sounded like they were on each side of **a** the door. _Perfect_. Shifting Mustang a little, He clapped his hands together and slapped them against the wall. There was a muffled yelp followed by silence. No cries of alarm, no running feet.

Ed grinned gleefully.

"Got 'em!" Lifting his left leg, he kicked the door open.

 **And that's it for now! I have the all of the chapters for this planned out so I should not be late with updating again. (Hopefully...) Please leave a review if you have time, they are much more helpful than you think! Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I know, I have been slacking! Life got really crazy! Annnd despite the fact that I do have this planned out, I somehow forgot to actually decide** ** _how_** **they were going to get out! So I am sorry for being over a month late, I will do better! I hope to have the next chapter ready for you this week, but in the mean time, here is some of Mustang's point of view! Enjoy!**

 **WARNING! POSSIBLE TRIGGERS, THIS** ** _WILL_** **CONTAIN VIOLENCE, PAIN, BLOOD, SLIGHT GORE, AND SOME MENTION OF TORTURE! (I have a really difficult time using swear words in my writing, I just can't use them well at all, so forgive my silly substitutes!)**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to FullMetal Alchemist, or any of its related content. I write for my own pleasure and I am only borrowing the characters to play with.**

Chapter 4

 _A Father's Duty is to guard his children, protect them from harm and keep them safe, even at the expense of his own life._

Pain. It sparked along his limbs, clutched at his chest, and pounded in his skull. Every movement, every _breath_ , caused agony to flood through him in waves. As Edward pulled him out the door, past the two guards wrapped up in the floor, Mustang gritted his teeth and tried to push it back. _FullMetal needed him now._

"Were you too busy to get my watch too, FullMetal?" He wheezed out, trying to distract himself from the pain of each step. Edward snorted, shooting him a smirk as they stumbled down the hall.

"Al has it, he went to show it to Hawkeye and ask her about it. We didn't know _how_ that man got his dirty mitts on your gloves, and when we called the Lieutenant to check in she sounded...off. She told us that you could not come to the phone and wouldn't tell us why. Al insisted on finding out what was going on. I didn't really care, but Al was determined." Mustang smiled slightly at the deliberately emotionless tone that the boy was using, and the way he refused to look at him told him that Edward had been far more worried than he was letting on.

Then what Ed had said hit him and he groaned.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye is going to kill me for worrying her like this. I was captured over a week ago." He muttered and Ed cackled, smiling smugly at him.

"Serves you right for vanishing on her like that." Mustang scowled at him grumpily before wincing as Ed adjusted his hold on his arm, sending more pain searing through him as the broken bones in his hand were jostled.

"Fullmetal...you realize I won't have a lot of control in this state. I could easily kill both of us by accident." Edward paused for a moment, a thoughtful look on his face, before shrugging carefully.

"You _are_ the Flame Alchemist, Colonel Bastard. Fire is your area of expertise. I trust you." Roy swallowed hard, oddly touched by the boy's statement. Edward looked a little stunned himself, his cheeks slowly turning red. They were both quiet for long moment before Mustang cleared his throat roughly.

"Are we going to stand here all day?" Ed jumped, and grumbled at him moodily, both of them ignoring the unsteady note in Mustang's voice. They stumbled forward and after a few steps, Mustang noticed that Edward was muttering something under his breath at each door they passed.

"Talking to yourself, Fullmetal?" He asked curiously, and Ed scowled at him.

"I memorized how many rooms I passed on my way in, I am trying to switch it around in my head so that we don't get lost. Unless you actually know the layout of this place?" The boy explained, the sarcasm in his voice thick enough to cut. Mustang stiffened at his words, a twist of unease in his gut causing him to suck in a breath and his ribs protested the sharp movement.

"No, I do not remember how I got here." He ground out, trying not to wince. Ed's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Too bad, this place is way up in the mountains, kind of like Briggs." Mustang felt his lips tighten as grim disbelief filled him.

"When I fell into their trap, I was in a small village at the base of the mountains. I was out of it for a while, but I had no idea they had moved me this far. Hawkeye must be frantic." He muttered the las part, his heart clenching at the thought of how she must be feeling right now. If there was one thing he hated, it was causing her pain. Ed shrugged, looking away stiffly.

"Al will get your watch to her, Colonel. And since I haven't called him to gloat that I was right about the gloves, he will know that something is wrong." Edward stated, shifting his grip again carefully as his cheeks grew a little pink. _Fullmetal_ _was_ _trying to comfort him_. Mustang stared at the boy in surprise as they continued forward, abruptly reminded of exactly what Edward had said to Thomas before freeing him.

A clatter of sound was his only warning and he whipped his head around, his good hand raising instantly in a familiar habit and he felt a surge of confidence as he remembered the glove that Ed had returned to him. The snap echoed ominously and Ed jumped as a group of soldiers rushed them only to be blasted off their feet by the following blast.

"Truth, that felt _good_!" Mustang growled, feeling his lips curl in his trademark smirk as the heat washed over them. Ed stared at him for a moment before grinning broadly.

"I bet it did, Colonel. Let's hurry before more catch up to us." Mustang nodded, and tried to limp faster. They rounded a corner and stumbled to a halt as Ed cursed violently under his breath.

"Leaving so soon, _Colonel_?" Dren drawled, his casually mocking tone at odds with the rage twisting his face. The man standing next to him was familiar to Mustang, but Edward clearly had no idea who he was judging by the confused look on his face.

"I got the feeling I had warn out my welcome, Dren. I'm sure that failure of a State Alchemist next to you will agree, we don't get along too well. Especially now that I have figured out a way to pay him back for that pathetic trick he pulled." Mustang snarled, raising his gloved hand. Dren's eyes grew wide and he stumbled back.

"Leonard, _do something!_ " He screamed and the alchemist stepped forward, both hands cupped around the pendant on his chest. The air flooded out of the room just as Mustang snapped, apparently killing the flames before they could start. Mustang grinned and snapped again, the resulting concussive wave nearly knocking both him and Edward off their feet. Dren and Leonard were not so lucky. Each got slammed through a different wall, Dren going clear through his wall while Leonard only cracked his, sliding down it with a groan. Edward gaped up at him, clearly surprised by the triumphant grin on Mustang's face.

"That Failure was the only reason they managed to catch me in the first place. He uses some sort of half-baked alchemy with oxygen, and it caught me off guard. I have used every spare second to figure out how to prevent it from happening again. I didn't use oxygen this time to create the blast, I used the other elements. You go take care of Dren, leave Leonard to me." Edward hesitated for a moment, his eyes darting between Mustang and the alchemist slowly struggling to his feet.

"Fullmetal!" Roy snapped and Edward snarled at him.

"Fine! But you better kick his butt, you hear me, Bastard?" He ground out, propping him against the wall and shooting him one last glare with just a hint of worry hidden in his eyes.

"Oh, I will, you can count on that. Now go break a few of Dren's bones for me." Edward grinned evilly at that, an unusually dark look entering his eyes.

"Understood." The tone of Ed's voice really should have worried him, but he trusted the brat to stop himself, just like he had with those two men in that torture chamber. With an only semi-mocking salute, the boy raced forward and dove through the hole that Dren had made in the wall.

Smirking, Mustang turned back to where Leonard was shaking his head dizzily.

"Its just you and me now, you fraud. Lets see how you handle me face to face."

 **So, I'm sorry this is so short, especially after not updating for so long, but you will have more soon! Any reviews would be awesome, And a big THANK YOU to everyone who has favorited and followed this! You are all amazing!**


	5. Chapter 5

**_I know, I am so sorry for taking so long to update! My life has been INSANE lately and I have been trying to write three fics at the same time, not something I would recommend to anyone. I am going to have to drop one for a little while, because I think I can manage two. Anyway, here is the next chapter! I struggled a little with this one, partly because quite a few people were looking forward to both fights, and originally I only had Edward's in here. So I had to change my whole plan for the chapter, but I think it worked. Again, this is not really edited, so if you spot any mistakes, please let me know! Enjoy!_**

 ** _WARNING! POSSIBLE TRIGGERS, THIS WILL CONTAIN VIOLENCE, PAIN, BLOOD, SLIGHT GORE, AND SOME MENTION OF TORTURE! (I have a really difficult time using swear words in my writing, I just can't use them well at all, so forgive my silly substitutes!)_**

 ** _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to FullMetal Alchemist, or any of its related content. I write for my own pleasure and I am only borrowing the characters to play with._**

Chapter 5

 _A Father's Duty is to guard his children, protect them from harm and keep them safe, even at the expense of his own life_.

Ed rolled to his feet, his hands already clapped together as he scanned the wreckage for Dren,

catching sight of him swinging at him out of one eye just in time to duck and slap his hands to the floor. The soldier's eyes widened and he quickly jumped away, narrowly avoiding the stone that tried to wrap around him. Edward stood slowly, oddly pleased that this wasn't going to be that easy.

"You are such a fool, kid! Why are you even here?! You had to have guessed that we were after you too, why would you practically give yourself to us?" Dren scowled at him, looking torn between glee at his good luck and honest confusion.

"I didn't know that the Colonel had been kidnapped until I found him." Ed pointed out dryly. Dren rolled his eyes and threw his hands in the air, drawing Edward's eyes to the military jacket he was wearing. Frowning, he looked closer at the rankings and realized that he was wearing Mustang's jacket. _What a fraud, he mocks Mustang while waltzing around wearing his rank._

"That is not the point! Once you found him, why did you try to save him? Everyone knows that you hate the man!" Something in Ed snapped and he snarled, leaping forward at the man.

"Why do you keep SAYING that? We don't get along, sure, but just because I think he is a cocky, smug, and egotistical Bastard doesn't mean I HATE him! I wouldn't wish the torture you put him through on my worse _enemy_ , let alone the closest thing to a FATHER I will ever have!" Dren blocked his punch with a sigh and tried to kick his feet out from under him.

Unfortunately for the soldier, he tried to kick the automail leg first. Ed snorted back a laugh as Dren howled, and slammed his metal fist up into his chin. Dren's head snapped back and he started to crumple before catching himself shakily, a snarl twisting his face as he swung at the teenager. Edward ducked and sank his whole body into the punch he landed in the soldier's gut. Dren hunched over the metal fist in his stomach, a pitiful whine escaping his throat.

With a viscous grin, Ed stepped back and _slammed_ his automail into the man's jaw. The sound of the bone cracking sent a victorious rush of satisfaction through his chest and he felt his lips curve in a familiar smirk. Dren crashed to the floor, clutching his face with a squeal of pain. Reaching down, Edward yanked Mustang's jacket off and kicked the man away when he tried feebly to grab for him.

"You have no right to mock his rank, Dren. I am the only one who can do that and even I know where to draw the line." _Most of the time, at least,_ that annoying voice mused softly and Edward rolled his eyes. Pained groans drew his attention back to the man at his feet and he clapped his hands with a smirk, touching the floor next to him. Chains of stone wrapped around Dren's ankles and wrists, shifting until he hung from the ceiling just like Mustang had been.

"Now you will just have to wait until one of your men comes looking for you. The Colonel and I will try to leave at least one goon conscious. I can just imagine the welcome a rouge soldier would get when he returned to Drachma." Dren lunged at him with a viscous snarl and was pulled short by the chains. Edward saluted him mockingly and strolled back to the hole in the wall.

Suddenly the floor shook under him and heat flooded the room. Cursing under his breath, Ed ducked through the hole, and snarled when he saw that Mustang and his opponent were not where he had left them. The ground shook again, and a muffled yell caused him to spin around, seeing a flash of flame back down the hallway behind him.

 _Thank Truth that the Colonel's alchemy is so obvious._ He snickered as he hurried towards the flames and peeked into the room. Mustang was leaning against the wall near the door, his gloved hand held up like a shield. Leonard was panting against the opposite wall, one side of his shirt singed and smoking.

"How? I have control of the air! You are helpless before my alchemy!" The man looked more than half mad as he screamed and Mustang snorted contemptuously.

"Then prove it!" The alchemist taunted and Leonard's face went purple with fury. Ed felt the air rush past as Leonard pulled all the nearby oxygen toward him. Mustang watched calmly, a calculating look on his face. The air was getting thin enough that Edward felt his cheeks start to tingle when Mustang finally smirked and snapped his fingers. Red lightning spiked across the room and Leonard's eyes went wide with belated horror as it reached him.

The resulting explosion shook the bunker so much that Ed fell to his knees, clinging to the door frame so that he didn't get sent sprawling. His cheeks abruptly stopped tingling and he quickly jumped to his feet, stumbling into the room.

"Colonel!" The walls were black with soot from the flash fire and for a heart stopping moment he couldn't see Mustang anywhere. Then there was a wheezing cough behind him, and he spun around to see the man crumpled at the base of the wall. Ed scrambled over to him, carefully helping him straighten up. Mustang groaned, clutching his ribs with a sharp wince, and Edward shook his head in exasperation.

"That was a little reckless, Colonel Idiot." Mustang gasped out a pained laugh and winced again. Edward looked back at the wall where Leonard had been standing and saw the man sprawled out on the floor, smoke trailing from his back.

"Did...did you kill him?" Ed asked hesitantly, almost afraid of the answer. Then the Colonel snorted loudly and shot him a look that clearly stated that he thought that Edward should know better than that.

"Of course not, he is just a little singed on the edges. And unconscious from oxygen depravation, the fool didn't realize that I could be that precise with my alchemy. I also melted his stupid pendant, no wonder he failed the Alchemy exam, his alchemic circles were not complete or stable. Pathetic." Edward snickered at the contempt in Mustang's voice and carefully helped him stand again.

"Whatever you say, Colonel. We need to get out of here, you weren't exactly being subtle." Mustang rolled his eyes, the effect lost with how swollen his one eye was. Ed chuckled again and tied Mustang's jacket around the man's waist, deliberately ignoring the surprised glance Mustang gave him. Grabbing the Colonel's good arm, he dragged him away from the wall and through the scorched doorway.

Once they were back in the main hallway, Ed hurried as fast as he could, still counting under his breath. He wanted Mustang out of this place. Mustang's breathing was getting ragged, and his face was growing paler. Finally they reached a door and Edward pushed it open, wind blasting them in the face.

They stumbled through and Ed cursed in shock. Snow was blowing around them in strong gusts, thick and heavy. There was already a layer of the stuff on the ground and it was steadily getting thicker.

"Are you freaking kidding me?!" Ed snarled and felt Mustang shift on his shoulder, looking at Ed with a long suffering look on his face. They both sighed with frustration at the same time and stiffened as shouts echoed behind them. Cursing under his breath, Ed plunged into the snow, trying to support Mustang as best as he could.

"Attack, coming from the center and the right! They look like military... CRAP, it the soldiers from Briggs! How the heck did they find us?" The shouts grew louder as Ed paused, trying to understand what he was hearing. Briggs soldiers, _here_? Mustang's arm tensed, and Ed looked over to see an almost insane grin twisting his lips.

"Al. He must have convinced Hawkeye." He breathed and Ed sucked in a breath in understanding, a grin to match Mustang's stretching his cheeks.

"There they are!" Ed jerked around, seeing a number of Drachma soldiers rushing towards them, eyes wild with the edge of panic.

"Fullmetal, RUN!" Mustang shouted, wrapping his arm more securely around his shoulder. Edward didn't hesitate, taking off in a full sprint. Somehow, Mustang was managing to keep up with him. They could hear gunshots in the distance and the shouts of the soldiers behind them were still getting closer.

They reached a level area on the mountain side and were halfway across when one of Mustang's feet caught on something buried under the snow. They both nearly went sprawling, Edward barely managing to keep them upright at the last second. Mustang let out a sharp grunt of pain, and Ed could feel him shaking.

He risked a glance and felt something twist in his gut. The Colonel was even paler than he had been before, and he was sweating heavily despite the snow swirling around them. His eyes were looking a little glassy, and he was breathing heavily. _Not good..._

"Hold it right there!" Ed flinched, spinning around to see five Drachma soldiers had caught up to them, all of them holding rifles aimed right at them. Snarling wordlessly under his breath, he gently lowered Mustang to the ground, ignoring the hoarse protest he whispered. Slowly, he moved his hands together, and managed to clap them together subtly, his mind racing.

"Move away from him, and stand up!" One of them ordered and Ed fought back a smirk as he slid back and touched his hands to the ground. Blue sparks flashed around him and the earth under the soldiers exploded.

Before they had even hit the ground, Edward dashed forward, a strange urgency filling him. _He had to finish this quickly and get Mustang to a doctor._ He slammed into the first one as he tried to stagger to his feet, kicking the gun out of his hand and swinging his fist at the man's face.

 _Have to hurry..._

Mustang struggled to concentrate, clinging to consciousness with all his strength. He could _not_ pass out now. Fullmetal would never be able to carry him the rest of the way if he was unconscious. Grunts and yells filled the air around him and Mustang pushed desperately past the pain, trying to see what was going on.

His eyesight was blurry around the edges when he finally managed to pry his eyes open, but he could still see enough that his gut twisted with worry. Fullmetal was fighting several soldiers at once, mixing his alchemy with his martial arts training as he fought. Two of the men were already out cold, their guns in pieces around them. With a yell, Fullmetal managed to explode another rifle, sending both its owner and the soldier next to him flying.

The boy spun around to face the last soldier, a large beast of a man who outweighed him by at least two-hundred pounds, not counting Fullmetal's Automail. The man had already dropped his rifle, clearly deciding that after what had happened to the others that he would have a better chance without it.

Mustang almost relaxed, clearly Fullmetal had it handled, until some instinct spiked along his nerves and he looked past the boy to see one of the other soldiers aiming his rifle at the young Alchemist's back. Time seemed to come to a halt as all the breath squeezed out of his lungs, his mind going blank with horror.

He was moving instantly, no other thought in his head but _protect the Brat!_

"EDWARD!" His left hand was in front of him, the red thread glowing and he was pushing Fullmetal to the ground behind him, the distant bang of a gunshot, a single _snap_ , fire exploding above him, lightning _stabbing_ into his left side, then echoing silence as darkness slammed him into the ground.

Edward groaned in pain, struggling to move the heavy weight on top of him.

"Geeze, Colonel, get off of me! Why did you shove me down like that?" He grouched, wriggling and pulling until he finally rolled the Colonel off his back. Siting up, Ed groaned, rubbing his face where his cheek had connected with the hard ground.

"Seriously, Colonel Jerk, what was that for?!" He demanded, turning to face the man with a scowl. A low agonized moan was the only sound that answered him and Ed took a moment to look around, noticing with surprise that the Colonel had blasted the huge guy a good forty yards away, smoke still drifting off his still form. The snow was melted in a massive circle around them, and the ground was blackened from the heat.

A wet cough drew his attention back to the Colonel, and he shook his shoulder as gently as he could.

"What is up with you, Colonel? You still haven't answered..." Edward let his voice trail off as he noticed the man clutching his left side with his good hand, another wet cough cutting through the air. It wasn't until he saw the red staining the snow that he fully understood. He jerked to his knees, looking behind him to see another singed man laying only a few feet from them, his rifle half melted in his hands.

"No..." He whispered, spinning around to look at Mustang, pushing the man's hand out of the way to see blood quickly staining what was left of his shirt. Ed tore off his coat, pressing it to the wound franticly, his mind running in circles and oddly blank at the same time.

"Nonononono." He muttered, trying to ignore how badly his hands were shaking. "Don't do this to me, Mustang. Do you hear me? We are almost there. Lieutenant Hawkeye is here, remember? _Please..._ " Another cough answered him and Ed flinched at the sound.

"Edward." His eyes flew to the Colonel's face, his heart sinking into his churning stomach at the look in Mustang's eyes.

 ** _I am sorry for leaving it there, but this chapter was already really long and I haven't updated in at least a month, so please forgive me. I am in a tight financial situation, and I will be working a LOT soon, so updates may not be very quick, but we are getting to a good part, so I will do my best. I am also working on two fics at the same time, and I do not know how other writers do it. My goal is to update every other week, preferably on Thursday or Saturday, so we will see how that goes. Thank you for reading and please review if you have time! :)_**


	6. Chapter 6

**_I can't apologize enough for taking so long to update! As a reward for being so patient with me, I tried to make this chapter extra long and updated Chat's Shadow as well. Things are coming to an end in this collection of drabbles, only two or three chapters left before I start the next set. Also, I am considering taking requests for this collection, preferably anything that involves ParentalRoyed and set in a mostly canon universe. I am open to AU's, but I work best within the Brotherhood Canon. So let me know if you have suggestions or requests! And Enjoy!_**

 ** _WARNING! POSSIBLE TRIGGERS, THIS WILL CONTAIN VIOLENCE, PAIN, BLOOD, SLIGHT GORE, AND SOME MENTION OF TORTURE! (I have a really difficult time using swear words in my writing, I just can't use them well at all, so forgive my silly substitutes!)_**

 ** _DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to FullMetal Alchemist, or any of its related content. I write for my own pleasure and I am only borrowing the characters to play with._**

Chapter 6

 _A Father's Duty is to guard his children, protect them from harm and keep them safe, even at the expense of his own life._

"Edward." His name echoed in his ears. Mustang almost never called him by his name. It was always "Fullmetal" or "Shorty" or something. Never Edward.

"C..Colonel..?" He couldn't breathe. A strange terror was crushing his chest, somehow familiar but he couldn't think of why. He couldn't _think_. His hands shook as he tried to press harder on his coat, desperately ignoring the dampness that was spreading through the cloth.

"Edward, look at me." Mustang murmured, his voice urgent and full of pain. Ed shook his head, his eyes oddly blurry. His heart pounded in his ears. _Why couldn't he stop his hands from shaking?_

"Please, Edward. You have to leave me here and run." Ed only shook his head harder, refusing to listen. _Why was his face so wet, it had stopped snowing, why wouldn't the bleeding stop?!_

"EDWARD!" His eyes flew to Mustangs face despite himself, and his chest squeezed even tighter at the look on his face.

"The bullet is still in there, I can...I can feel it. I will b..bleed out before we reach the soldiers from Briggs. You have to leave me here. Go. Run." The Colonel urged, his eyes frantic.

Something shattered in his head and suddenly fury flooded through him.

"No! Do you freaking HEAR ME, MUSTANG? I REFUSE to accept this! After all this effort, all the pain you have gone through to _protect_ me, YOU ARE NOT GOING TO DIE HERE!" He screamed. Mustang gaped at him as Ed furiously wiped his eyes with one bloody hand, the tears falling even faster now. _I can't believe I am actually crying over this stupid Bastard!_

"What about your promise to Lieutenant Hawkeye?! You _promised_ her that you would become Furer and change this stupid nation! And what...w..what about Al? How am I going to get his body back without your help?" A sob caught in his throat and he choked it back.

"What about...what about _me_? Are you going to just make me think that you are a better father than my _real_ father and then...j..just _die_?" He ground out, his voice cracking as he swiped at his eyes again. Mustang just stared at him, his eyes wide in shock.

"But, I..." The Colonel trailed off, shock and fear twisting on his face.

"Now, help me figure out a way to get us BOTH out of this, Mustang. A man who wants to become the Furer should be able to do that much!" Mustang was quiet for a moment.

"Where did you hear about that?" He finally whispered and Ed snorted, wiping his nose with a ragged sniff.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye told me a few months ago, when I returned her gun. She told me about Ishval too." Mustang winced, pain that had nothing to do with the bullet in his side crossing his face. Then something hardens in his eyes, something Edward has never seen before. Mustang's good hand reaches up and digs into Ed's flesh shoulder, almost hard enough to bruise.

"I want you to swear on your brother's soul that what I am about to ask you to do you will never do again, Edward. I will only give you to use this once, and you must _swear_ to never use it again, understand?" Ed wiped his eyes, frowning at the Colonel in confusion.

"What are you.."

" _Swear_ it, Edward! I might have a way to stop the bleeding long enough for us to get to safety, but you have to promise me before I tell you." Ed struggled to think past the pounding in his ears and felt his heart stutter when Mustang's word finally penetrated.

"I swear on Alphonse's life to only use this once and never use it again, or tell anyone about it. Happy?" Mustang's lips twitched a little at the forced reluctance in Edward's voice but tightened as a shudder wrenched through him. Slowly, Mustang lifted his left hand until the glove he wore was in front of Edward's face.

"Take it." Ed's eyes widened in surprise, but the growing wetness under his hand stopped him from protesting. Hesitantly, he pulled the glove off.

"Put it on." Ed stiffened, part of him feeling very uneasy about where this was going.

"I won't explain more than you need to know, I made a promise I will not break, but you are smart enough that you can do this much." Mustang stated, ignoring the new fear that was filling Edward's eyes.

"The most basic part of Flame alchemy is manipulation and control of oxygen. You don't want to create an explosion, so keep it simple. You are going to need to focus all of your concentration on keeping the air flow very small and focused." Ed felt the blood drain out of his face as he realized exactly what Mustang had in mind.

"WAIT, just what..." Ed was almost at a full blown panic now. _I can't do this...I CAN'T DO THIS!_

"You are going to have to sear my side closed, with the bullet inside, because we don't have time for you to dig it out, alright? That is the only way, and the more you argue, the more I bleed, and I wasn't exactly in the best shape to start with. But this will give us our best chance. Do you understand, Edward?"

"But, I...I can't, I don't even know where to start, Mustang, I could _kill_ you!"

"You _can_ do this, Edward. You are the FullMetal alchemist and _my_ subordinate. I believe in you." Ed couldn't breath as he stared at the look on Mustang's face. It was...Proud. Confident, trusting and...proud. Mustang's eyes held no doubt, only a warmth that reached right into Ed's chest and _squeezed_.

He silently nodded his head once, unable to speak and Mustang _smiled_ , looking even more confident than before. Shakily, Edward pulled the glove over his Automail, Mustang keeping pressure on the wound. Ed stared at the red array on the back, remembering what Mustang has said about control.

"Ed, I..*cough*.. I need to warn you. I will probably scream, but you can't stop until the wound is closed, understand?" Edward flinched, his heart jumping into his throat. But they had no time, every minute he hesitated put Mustang that much closer to death. He drew in a deep breath, clapped his hands and _snapped_.

Fire flared, reducing the blood soaked coat to ashes instantly and Edward bit his cheek hard, focusing everything he had into controlling the flames. The transmutation fought him, but he held steady and ignored the horrible smell that surrounded him.

Ignored the distant, _agonized_ , screaming that was echoing in his ears. Ignored how Mustang twisted and strained, but never pushed him away. Ignored the tears that made it almost impossible to see the wound.

The fire nearly escaped him twice, and he flinched when Mustang jerked in response. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, it was done. The wound was sealed closed, the horrible burn a vivid red against Mustang's pale skin. He fought to put out the flames, swallowing a scream as the transmutation recoiled, searing his arms. Pushing the pain away, he gripped the Colonel's shoulder, his heart in his throat.

"I'm...al..alright, Ed. Got to hurry..." The voice was weak and rough, but it was there. Edward nearly sobbed in relief, but more shouts were coming from the bunker, and he pushed it all away. Lurching to his feet, he quickly pulled Mustang's arm over his shoulder and ran with everything he had left. Mustang groaned, leaning on him heavily, but he kept up somehow.

Soldiers came into view as they reached the trees, shouting at them, but Edward ignored them as he kept running. His eyes had caught sight of a large gleam of silver behind the soldiers, and he headed straight for it with a burst of speed.

"BROTHER!" The Briggs soldiers hesitated as the large suit of armor hurried forward, yelling. Then gunfire exploded around them, the men chasing them trying to stop Ed before he reached safety. He ducked and kept running, Briggs soldiers rushing past him to return fire. He stumbled and crashed to the ground with the Colonel at Al's feet, his brother crying out in concern. Ed gasped for breath, his lungs burning, his sight growing dim.

"Edward!" Lieutenant Hawkeye skidded to a stop next to him, going down on one knee to shake his shoulder. He flinched as she jostled his burns.

"Edward, where is the Colonel? What happened?! Did you find him? Where is Roy?!" She urged and he dimly felt surprised at the frantic tone in her voice. Then the mangled body panting next to him stirred, a ragged cough escaping his lips.

"Riza?" The lieutenant froze, a flood of emotions crossing her face before she went deathly pale with sheer horror. Havoc slid to a stop next her as she choked, one trembling hand covering her lips.

"Colonel?"

"Bloody _hell_..." Havoc trailed off, gaping at both of them in shock. "What happened?"

"He needs help, pl..please. Bullet still inside, multiple seri..serious injuries, _hurry_..." Edward gasped out and Hawkeye jerked back as if he had slapped her. Spinning on her knees she scanned the trees desperately.

"MEDIC! MEDIC, _NOW!_ " The world faded into black around him as Havoc crouched next to him.

"Ed? Hey, chief, stay with me!"

" _Brother_!"

 ** _And that is where I have to stop for now. I have been working a LOT, like I warned you I would be. But I will do my best to give you another updated this Saturday. Only one or two more chapters of this arc, but I have the next one planned out already. Thank you for reading and let me know what you think!_**


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